Why does my Dog Groan? Does dog groaning mean pain? — Doggy Talent

“For how you speak gives an insight into what you truly are”

As very rightly said by our ancestors, speech and facial expressions are the way that a person can completely know you. Speaking is the way that you can put forward your present situation or emotions to somebody in an efficient manner. But, what about those who are not able to express their thoughts in the form of words. Well, talking about our own little pups, making sounds are a manner in which they express their happiness, sadness, comfort or hunger. It is usually though the sounds that they make that we get to know that there is something different going on with our dog. A cute squeal at times may sound cute but it becomes a different scenario when it comes to groaning more frequently. Groaning is usually a very usual sign of a problem in your dog. This could be due to some medical reason or some behavioral changes.

So, before we find out a proper solution into how to stop this groaning, we need to get into the root cause.

Causes of Groaning in dogs –

Lack of attention:

This is a very common mental reason for which your dog might be groaning. Pups usually get more attention from everybody and are cared the most, but when it comes to adult dogs, the amount of attention given to them decreases gradually. Thus, this is the reason that some of the dogs start to groan. This is usually observed in more vocal breeds like Basset hounds. So, if you feel that your dog has started groaning a bit more around you, take it for a nice walk and a few cuddles are always welcomed.

Medical condition:

Groaning usually has some link to a medical problem with your dog. There is a list of problems that your dog might be suffering from.

a) Rapid Bone Growth: This condition is observed in young pups. Growing dogs start groaning when there is a sudden growth in their bones. This causes a strong pain in their joints which causes discomfort. Along with this, stretching of skin also becomes painful for our little pup. This is observed in breeds like the dachshund and greyhound.

b) Ageing: Older dogs start groaning due to weakening of their bones and cartilages. This medical condition is known as osteoarthritis. The cartilages of the back bones of ageing dogs starts degenerating when they start becomes old.

Thus, these dogs find it difficult to lie down or stand up once they sat down. Along with this, groaning in this case is also observed while your dog is sleeping.Old age dogs also feel pain when they walk or run around and hence, a regular physio is advised.

c) Ascites: This is the most painful reason as to why your dog might be groaning. This is the filling of fluid into your dog’s abdomen. This fluid pools into your dogs due to some accidents like bumping into a solid surface or could be seen in older dogs due to some serious disease like kidney failure. When this fluid fills into your dog’s abdomen, they experience excessive pain while lying down. Along with this, these fluids also inhibit them to breathe easily. This situation can be easily observed before hand as regular vomiting would be seen in your dog. along with this. A swollen stomach and a parched tongue are also a clear indication.

d) Any other illness: Regular groaning indicates some illness in your dog. These are usually digestion related problems but some serious issue could also be identified. Thus, seeing your vet is mostly advised in this case.

But before we jump to a solution of these problems, a few scenarios need to be discussed.

Why does my dog groan when he lays down?

As discussed before, a dog groans while lying down could be because of fluid pooling in their abdomen or could be due to some digestion issues. Along with this, if you are exercising too much with your dog, being tired also causes them to groan while they lay down. Some people also overlook the fact that their dog also might be feeling cold or hot on a tiled floor. Thus, if your dog does not get the right environment to lie down or sleep, groaning is observed. Thus, treat your dog like you would treat a little kid and give them a comfortable atmosphere.

Why does my dog groan at me?

Your dog would groan at you only when it is trying to say something that you are not understanding. Your dog would groan only when it going through some mental or physical issue. Incase of a medical issue, do what is best at your level or consult a vet. If you feel your dog is getting old and is groaning to physical pain, massages can be of great help along with this, try to avoid too much exercise with your dog and offer it nutritious food always.

Why does my dog groan when I hug him?

Hugging usually gives your dog the comfort that is equivalent to sleeping in the softest blanket. But if your dog groans when you hug him, observe where exactly did you touch when your dog groaned. If your dog groans when you hug their stomach, it means it could be ascites. If they groan when you hug their back, it could be because of their bones growing too rapidly. Thus, medical support is immediately advised in this case.

Why does my Dog Groan when taking a Shower?

This can be understood much better through a live video where a German shepherd groans while taking a bath.

Precautions:

For all this, precautions are obviously much advised over the painful treatments that awaits after this situation.

1) Offer your dogs a diet that is full of calcium both when they are a pup and when they are growing old. Bones need strength at both these ages. Thus, health supplements are also advised in this case.

2) Try to be easy on your dog. Don’t exercise too much with your dog in their growing years as their joints can become too weak with this.

3) If you feel there is some sort of a behavioral issue with your dog, try giving it some more time. dogs usually love it when their owners give them attention. A few cuddles and hugs make a great difference. Even if you are a working person, take your dog along a walk with you and comfort it a little while it eats and sleeps. Thus, try to make your dog feel that it is very important for you.

This is an end to the precautions and the only solution to this problem is consulting a vet which is painful for your dog to bear and for you to witness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hewREeXgSE

Thus, it is up to you how you observe your dog. Groaning is normal if it is not at a very frequent rate. Give your dog a nutritious diet, a healthy environment and a lovely owner to live with. And you would always be greeted by a wagging tail and a smiling little face.